How to start a photography business with no money?

With the advent of digital photography, a radical change has come in the photography business. Change happened in the overall system and instruments. People's demand and market trends have also changed. Expert in photography, the ability to capture the subject in camera lens at the right moment and self-confidence are preconditions to start this business. If you have a digital camera and some basic equipment, you can start a photography business with no money. In this article, I have talked about some steps that are necessary to start a photography business without investing any capital. 

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1. Select the type of photography:

The first and perhaps the most important step of starting a photography business without investing any money is to select the field of photography. At first, you will have to decide what type of photo you want to take. Then, you will have to choose any kind of photography- product photography, landscape photography, portrait photography, wedding photography- as the service of your business. The type of photography services you will offer will help you find your potential customers. We can divide the photography business into two broad categories: Assignment Photography and Stock Photography.

Assignment Photography:

In this case, you will have to take pictures as per the requirement of the customers. It can be the pictures of a wedding, an advertisement or an event. For this type of work, you will get a certain amount of money before the start of the work or after the picture is delivered to the buyer. If you stay in touch with various advertising agencies and corporate offices, you will get an assignment regularly. Besides, there is plenty of works available during the wedding season. Most of the photographers prefer this business for regular and good income.

Stock photography:

The photography business aside from regular assignment-based photography is called stock photography. In this case, you will have to take photos of different things or events and sell these to buyers. Stock photos are widely used in many news articles, newspapers and magazines and different websites.

2. Select a name for business organization:

After selecting the type of photography service for your business, you will have to choose an appropriate name for your business organization. By picking up a name, you can create a brand for your photography business. A good name will help you catch the attention of your probable customers until you establish yourself as a professional photographer. You will have to choose a name that will tell your would-be customers about the photography service you offer. While choosing a name for your photography business, you will have to be sure that this name has not been taken by anyone before. If you pick a name that has already been used, you will have to face legal problems. In this case, you can search on search engines, such as Google, Bing, etc., and do a little bit of research about your business name. After selecting a unique name for your photography business, register it.

3. Make a business plan:

Before starting a photography business without spending any money, you will have to make a good business plan. You will have to keep in mind that your business plan will decide the fate of your business. It will give an overview of your business- the current situation of your business, evaluation of your local competitors and setting a plan of either taking a portion of their business or collaborate with them. The business plan will outline your business strategy- actions you will use to reach your market and goal, strategic issues and business values. It will also include market research- products or services your potential customers will want to buy from you, tactics you will take to grow and expand your business, obstacles that will resist you from reaching your goal. How you will manage your business is an important part of your business plan- registering assets, maintaining equipment, accounting system. Determining price structure is an important part of a business plan. 

4. Select the structure of your business:

Then, you will have to select the structure of your business. You can have a sole proprietorship. In the case of more than one or more partners, forming a limited liability company is the best solution. In that case, if the turnover is not more than Tk 40 lakh in a year or if the amount of investment of a partner in a fiscal year does not exceed Tk 25 lakh, there is no need for an annual audit. 

5. Do photography course:

Most of those who are thinking of starting a photography business are already in the practice of photography. As a result, they have the necessary basic equipment, such as a camera, lenses, flashes, batteries, tripod, lights, screens, computer, photo editing software, quality photo paper etc. Apart from these, you should have knowledge and skills in taking a quality picture. You can do online courses in photography. Or, you can learn work from a person who is skilled in this profession. 

6. Take an office for your business:  

It is important to have a physical address of your business organization so that your target customers can trace you out, but a startup can't take an office to operate their business. In this case, they can use one of their rooms or a garage as their office. Remember that many big companies started in the garage.

7. Join photography clubs:

We have a lot of photography clubs in our country. You can join one or more clubs of your choice. In this way, you will get to meet people who share similar interests, and you will get opportunities to learn new things.

8. Create marketing materials:

After completing the above tasks, you will have to let your target customers know that you are doing a photography business and to do this, you will have to create marketing materials- business cards, brochures, websites etc. Apart from these, you can also create an account or page on social media for your business so that your target market can find you out. Before uploading photos on your website and social networking sites- Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, you should take permission from your clients. 

By following the above-stated steps, one can start his or her own photography business with no money.